Like most red blooded Americans, I attended a Super Bowl party last night. I’m not a fan of football. I never know who’s even playing until I get to the party. I usually root for the team with the cuter quarterback (so clearly that’s been the Patriots’ QB Tom Brady for the past decade). I talk during the game and shut up for the commercials.

A friend of mine was determined to turn me into a football fan and wanted me to actually watch the game. He went on about statics and plays. “His stats for YAC is unbelievable,” he said grinning at someone on the television. Instead of saying what I was thinking (these commercials ain’t so funny this year) I feigned interest and asked, “What does YAC mean?”

“Yards after contact,” he sated proudly. “It’s how many yards he runs after he is contacted. You know, how far he can keep going once someone makes contact and tries to take him down.”

I thought about an old football clip I’d seen of a player being run into by numerous players on the other team. They tried to tackle him but he kept running and shook them off like they were dust on his shoulder.

Life is a lot like football I thought as I watched the game. You are trying to get towards your goal, and sometimes people and circumstances try to knock you down. Sometimes it’s just someone grabbing at you that you can easily knock off. Other times, its a full blown tackle. How are your yards after contact? How do you deal with your stumbling blocks? Do you stay down or get back up and fight?

If you want to win the Super Bowl of life, you need to work on your YAC and get those numbers high. Things may come in your way that seem to tackle you, but the reward comes to those who keep pushing forward.

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